rjr

Just another very strong recommendation to use sundial for any sash window restoration you may be considering. We just moved to a rather dilapidated property in a conservation area. The property hadn't really been touched for 50 odd years, so we had big issues with our windows, some of which were totally rotten. We had the choice of completely replacing them like for like, or attempting restoration. We were nervous about the restoration route, as our windows were such a mess we didn't think the end result could be as good as replacing with new timber sashes. However, we had a meeting with Steve and I was immediately impressed with his knowledge and enthusiasm for excellent craftsmanship. We ran through the whole restoration process and from that point really I was convinced that this was the right way to go. His team were amazing - polite, hard working, and as I had assumed, excellent craftsmen. The windows came up amazingly well, and blew away my expectations. I've attached some (sorry quite dark on the iphone camera!) images to view - I'm now so happy that we went down this avenue. The stained glass window in particular was completely rotten. All the glass had to be removed from the lower sash and put back into to a new replica sash. The results are really impressive. It feels great to keep the original character of the property - we're massively happy we were able to do this without compromising on the finish, and obviously it's considerably more cost effective than replacing with new windows. Best, R

Also have just had john mccann in to plaster our stairwells. He was punctual, responsive, fast, well priced and did a good job. Would back the previous recommendations!

LondonMix Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > In what way is Ivydale better than Goodrich? I > think ED state schools are very good and certainly > no reason to leave the area. There are loads of factors obviously, but in summary: Ivydale - Ofsted Good, pupils/teacher 21 Heber - Ofsted Requires Improvement, pupils/teacher 19 Goodrich - Ofsted Good, pupils/teacher 39 And just from speaking to parents whose children go to these schools in ED, general opinion is they're ok, but nothing to write home about. Not to say that ED doesn't have great schools, because Fairlawn has amazing results, happy parents and Outstanding ofsted report. But we can't afford to live near there. And the post was originally about cost of housing, which is why we moved. We wouldn't have moved based on the schools alone but ultimately were priced out the area.

Just thought I'd share our personal experience of recently moving from ED to Kent House (between Penge and Beckenham) for those seeking similar adventures. We'd been on Crystal Palace Road for the past 3 years. Bought a classic 3 bed and spent every penny we had turning it from a bit of a dump into something more pleasing to inhabit. We had no intention of moving originally but circumstances changed, a baby popped out, and all of a sudden it was too much of a struggle to make ends meet. On top of that, the aforementioned pet human was naturally shifting our focus (garden now trumps proximity to good coffee, good state schools trump distance from central London). We looked at all the areas mentioned on this thread - started with Brockley as already had friends there. Nice roads and victorian houses, a few delis and such to keep those seeking signs of gentrification happy. But for us it felt like somewhere to pass through rather than somewhere to stay, if that makes sense. Forest Hill - obviously the Horniman is great (especially for kids), couple of nice pubs and eateries, and reasonable house prices to be had for the 1930s streets from topps tiles towards catford (long gardens too) - but as mentioned in another post, the south circular put us off as the thought of walking near that volume of traffic every day was not for us. Honor Oak - Love the little strip of shops. Stillness school is very highly regarded so this was a definite option for us. Stillness road itself has some lovely victorian houses too and is actually quite peaceful. The little park (blythe hill) is nice with good views over SE London. The houses prices didn't seem that different to ED though - maybe 70k less for a 3 bed. Nunhead - The streets around Ivydale Road are great and you're just a few minutes from peckham rye and good bus routes - the school is also better than the two we had locally (Goodrich & Heber) - but prices seemed to rise by 100k during our house search! In the end the 3 beds were in the region of 850k - so hardly any cheaper than ED anymore. Penge - Yep, the high street is scruffy. Yep there are pound shops. Yep there is a fair amount of estate housing between Oakfield Road and Maple Road. Yep it sounds like a part of your reproductive anatomy. BUT, in particular the roads around Penge East station are really nice, great houses, bigger than ED, and probably around 150-200k cheaper for a 3 bed. The Bridge House is an awesome pub, the watermens almhouses are beautiful, and you have great transport links into central london from either Penge East (Victoria, Farrigdon) or Penge West (London Bridge, Overground to Shoredtich High St and beyond). You've also got Crystal Palace Park on your doorstep. If we were without child, we'd probably move here, but the schools aren't quite up to scratch yet...... So we ended up in Kent House. Why? Well, just go and walk around Barnmead Road and Kent House station and you'll see there is a little parcel of SE London that time forgot. There is a footpath from here through fantastic allotments over to Cator Park, which is all very idyllic. The roads around Cator Park are all really good. The schools are great and I just felt relaxed being there, like it was a little bubble protected from the surrounding busyness. My commute to work (moorgate) is actually quicker than from ED, and house prices are again great value. We bought a bigger house for considerably less than the one we sold. You obviously have all the amenities, shops & restaurants & cinema of Beckenham up the road too. And finally, its easier to get out of London now. That sounds like a funny thing, and something that wasn't even discussed as a plus point, but trips to the coast/countryside are now just that little bit easier! Hope that is useful for those seeking better value! Good luck........

There's so much moaning about estate agents. They're just a business like anyone else. Trying to maximise profits for each client that passes through their door. Why not moan about tesco, bp, British gas, who are doing this at the same time as destroying the environment. Anyway, for what it's worth we bought our house on crystal palace road through Kfh and they were polite, knowledgable and very responsive. Of course you get a small pinch of estate agent bs but that's basically unavoidable. All in all a positive experience and we would definitely use them again...

I think it should be applauded, even if it isn't to your taste. Street art, whether it is pleasing to your eye or not, is adding colour and individuality to walls that would normally be bland and uninspiring blocks of brick. The guy has put it all out there and obviously spent ages honing his craft - that on its own deserves some respect.

Thanks for all the info. We will take action and see what happens! LondonMix - we are opposed to such a bulky development addition, which is virtually tripling the size of the property. This will mean a loss of privacy for the residents of the first few houses in pellatt road, a loss of light for the adjoining houses in crystal palace road, and significant disturbance for the neighbours on rodwell road. I'm all for development if it fits with the character of a property and doesn't adversely affect in the long term surrounding neighbours.... katgod - architects often apply for planning on behalf of their clients, so it could the case here too. Cheers!

Hi there, The owners of 2 rodwell road are planning to turn a lovely double front semi detached period property into a 3 story block of flats complete with roof terrace, under the following proposal: http://planningonline.southwark.gov.uk/AcolNetCGI.exe?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeResultDetail&TheSystemkey=9550556 Aside from clearly not being in keeping with the neighbourhood, I do believe this will affect right of light in several of the neighbouring properties. Has anyone had any experience of this type of thing, and how likely it would be to get planinng permission? Thanks in advance, RJ